Mikael Sandberg's tips on becoming double certified

Mar 14, 2018

I'm excited to welcome @Mikael Sandberg to the Atlassian Showcase Hall of Fame! This is a long-anticipated post (at least for me!) as when I first reached out, Mikael was busy studying for his Confluence Certification. Enjoy reading about how Mikael uses all things Atlassian in his role at Fujifilm as well as his tips for those seeking to become certified!

When did you first start using Atlassian products?

I have been using Atlassian products since 2009, and it all started with the Atlassian Dragon Quest challenge. I had just moved to the US because of my wife and needed something to do while I was waiting for my green card. But it was not until 2012 that I started to use Atlassian products on a full-time basis. The company I worked for at the time were not happy with one of the test management tools that we were using, the other one was end-of-lifed and needed to be replaced, so we started the search for a new one. It quickly turned into a search to replace our requirement management tools and change management tool too, and after a couple of months of evaluations we ended up with Jira as our change management tool.

Describe some of your responsibilities in your current role as Senior Applications Specialist at Fujifilm SonoSite

My responsibilities are to look after our Atlassian tools. We are currently using Bitbucket, Confluence and Jira, all server instances. If you ask our developers I am the Atlassian and Git guru. My official title is actually Sr ClearCase Administrator, but we are trying to change that since I do very little with ClearCase anymore after we migrated the majority of our projects over to Git and Bitbucket. It took some time for our developers to transition from ClearCase to Git, with a lot of training and hands-on help, but now two years down the road they are starting to see the benefits of using Git and Bitbucket, and we have started to look into moving the few projects still in ClearCase over to Git too. I am also involved in the current discussion of the future requirement tool since I have experience with both tools that we are considering.

What changes in your career, if any, have you experienced pre vs. post being Jira Admin Certified?

My main motivation to get certified is to prove to myself that I know the tool. So far there has not been any changes in my career because of it, but you never know what the future holds.

Has studying for the Confluence Certification been largely different than studying for Jira?

Yes, for Confluence Certification I have been reading the Admin documentation a lot more, and also doing lot more testing in Confluence. I think this is because I mainly spend more time in Jira on a daily basis.

Are you planning on going for other certifications once you pass Confluence?

Next up will be one of the badges to extend my Jira Administrator certification. I have not decided which ACP will be the next one that I will attempt, either the new Jira Project Administration or Agile Development with Jira Software.

What the top tip you'd give someone going after an Atlassian Certification?

I recommend the prep courses, they helped me get ready for the exams. I would also recommend to play around with the tools and try different things out.

What is one of the proudest professional moments of your career so far? What's one of the proudest personal moments?

A tough choice, there are a couple of candidates here for the proudest professional moments. One of them would be passing the Confluence exam. Another would be being part of the startup of Riada back in the days before Riada became an Atlassian Partner. And not to forget becoming a Community Champion. The biggest perk of being part of the Atlassian Community is being surrounded by smart individuals that want to help other community members be successful using Atlassian's tools.

On a personal level, I think the proudest moments so far has to be that I mustered the courage to do a lightning talk at the Summit in 2016. I am an introvert and have never liked speaking in public, but decided to give it a go and I am glad I did because it was really fun to do and I learned a lot from it.

What do you like to do for fun! (Aside from studying for ACP tests, that is...)

Golf, I am not good at it, but I find it fun and relaxing to be on the driving range for an hour just hitting the ball. This year I have promised myself to head to the driving range more often, it has been a while since the last time. And on some Saturday afternoons, you may find me at the local brewery playing games with the kids. We are also trying to explore everything that Seattle and the Pacific North West has to offer.

Thanks, Mikael! Community––if you have questions about this Showcase, feel free to drop them in the comments section below :)

6 comments

Great post! :) I'm also a double certified and I can related the difficult part about confluence Administration, totally different from Jira and also I can't decide which ACP decide too XD maybe the Agile Development but also want Jira Service Desk :(

Nice to e-meet you Mikael Sandberg, congrats on your certification and lightning talk at the summit. Great photos, and I also love to golf! You will have to visit Prince Edward Island someday - our Island is full of picturesque courses :)

As a long time fan of Atlassian products, a role working for an Atlassian solution partner was a fantastic fit for me and my career. In any new role a learning curve is expected - but nothing prepare...